Boston-area to do list

Share via e-mail

PICK OF THE DAY

Riffin’ on Gryffindor

Either former BBC hosts Jeff Turner (left) and Daniel Clarkson love a challenge, or they excessively adore Harry Potter, or both. Their obsession is our gain, since they’ve come up with “Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience — A Parody by Dan and Jeff.” In it, the pair recount all seven books in an abridged, frenetic 70 minutes. They do it with the help of costume changes, songs, props, and, of course, magic. The audience will be invited to participate in a match of Harry’s favorite game (that’s Quidditch, in case you didn’t know, played by Clarkson and Turner’s rules). The Boston engagement of the award-winning show comes on the heels of a North American tour and a successful run off-Broadway. (Story, Page 7.) Sept. 17-Oct. 6. Tues-Fri, 7:30 p.m.; Sat 1, 4:30, 8 p.m.; Sun 1, 5 p.m. (no shows Oct. 2-3). $39.99-$79.99. Paramount Center Mainstage, 559 Washington St., Boston. 617-824-8000, www.paramountboston.org

TUESDAY

Get me to the cathedral Dancers join the Concierto Barroco Ensemble in choreographic reconstructions of pieces from cathedral archives of Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia. The ensemble performs Spanish-American music from the 16th to 18th centuries on Baroque and ethnic instruments. Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. Free. Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St., Cambridge. 617-577-1400, www.multiculturalartscenter.org

Following the Blisses Being traveling musicians doesn’t hurt the marriage of Nathan and Rebecca Bliss. They travel together, logging about 40,000 miles and 200 shows a year as the duo Barnaby Bright. Hear their prize-winning original songs on a bill that also features Cara Domings and the Nate Leavitt Band. Sept. 17, 8 p.m. $12. Cafe 939, 939 Boylston St., Boston. 617-747-2261, www.cafe939.com

WEDNESDAY

Dystopia’s end “MaddAddam,” the new book by Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, completes the trilogy that started with “Oryx and Crake” and “The Year of the Flood.” The dystopian tale might seem like science fiction, but in her acknowledgments Atwood points out, “Although ‘MaddAddam’ is a work of fiction, it does not include any technologies that do not already exist, or bio-beings that do not already exist, are not under construction, or are not possible in theory.” She appears in Writers on a New England Stage. Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m. $13.25 + $27.95 book voucher. The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, N.H. 603-436-2400, www.themusichall.org

After the horror In many ways 9/11 brought Americans together, but its aftermath was also fraught with controversy and conflict. Elizabeth Greenspan talks about her book “Battle for Ground Zero: Inside the Political Struggle to Rebuild the World Trade Center.”Sept. 18, 7 p.m. Free. Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617-661-1515, www.harvard.com

Lucky star of folk In the liner notes for his new album, “Beneath Some Lucky Star,” fortunate folkie Bill Staines says, “I have always felt that I was blessed to live a life in music and to know that, surely it must have been a lucky star that led me there.” The artist, who’s been following that star for more than 45 years, plays in Waltham. Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m. $15. Gore Place, 52 Gore St., Waltham. 781-894-2798, www.goreplace.org